Junk Looks To Audio Heroin For a Fix and A F&%$ You

By Chris Dzaka

VANCOUVER – Social media has changed the way humans interact with each other. Vancouver rapper Junk just released his third studio album in two years entitled Audio Heroin and in it, the young artist gives his take on how the world now turns, post Internet.

“The world is a little bit fucked up,” Junk states with a straight face. “The single ‘Sociomedia,’ (is about how) it’s just breeding a bunch of sociopaths. That’s a generalization but it’s probably the larger percentage, me included. I feel like we are too driven on something that isn’t real and isn’t tangible.” Junk slams his fist into his hand. “I sound like a disgruntled fifty-year-old parent but it’s true.”

Junk has no chill in him. He’s coming off several tour dates overseas and across Canada over the past couple years. According to him, Audio Heroin has been well received by peers, family and friends. “I feel really proud of the body of work,” Junk says. “I put everything I had into this. Every cent, every minute that I had to offer, I put into this record. I just rap about what I feel. I rap about the shit I wanna hear rapped about. I just vent, it’s self therapeutic, self venting of anger. If I wasn’t doing rap I’d be doing punk. This is a fuck you album.”

Junk is known for double timing confrontational lyrics, probably from his battle rap roots. His former group, North West Division, created a social media conversation because of the track “Rap Better Party Harder” back in the day. Junk and fellow emcee Young Hungry sport tees adorned with notorious serial killer’s names in the video.

Now on his own and completely independent, Junk is still hard but Audio Heroin is also somewhat well balanced.

“I got that song about my wife with Cyhi The Prynce where it’s like I’m in love with a beautiful woman. The next song is about being a dirty cheating conniving piece of shit, because everyone lives these parallel lives and says one thing and does the other. So do I.” Junk continues, “It’s like insulting myself and my behaviour and how I go about things, but it’s realizing that and putting it into a creative thing like rap. I don’t have a filter. That’s why it’s honest. I think people appreciate that. Just like great comedies or great pieces of film or art.”

Junk feels this is his best effort to date. Hip-hop ears may stand at attention with the “Flawless” track. As Junk mentioned, he’s joined by Grammy-nominee Cyhi The Prynce on the track. “We sent him three or four joints, ‘My Table’ and ‘Nothing Is Ok.’ We got the green light and so I guess he enjoyed the tracks, or wasn’t hating them,” he says with a self-deprecating smirk. “(Cyhi) asked for some production. He was out in Atlanta finishing Kanye’s album at the time,” he pauses to let that sink in. “Probably to see if it wasn’t whack. He did the hook though and I just wrote my verses after the hook. Didn’t take long cause I was very inspired.”

Junk isn’t about labels and he feels the world should wake up to the pigeonhole mentality he feels we are in. “I don’t label myself a battle rapper or conscious rapper. I’m all those things. I’m a human. It’s how I feel and it’s honest. If you don’t like my shit, it’s cool. But it’s cool for me to say go fuck yourself. I’m doing me and living my truth. That’s all I can be is honest and to the point. I’m never going to lie to someone’s face unless I just murdered their family,” Junk says showcasing his infamous dark humor that you can hear for yourself in his raps.

Junk’s album release party for Audio Heroin is Sept. 10 at Fortune Sound Club.